Naraka Empire
Current Ruler: Vakai Currently ruled by the Empress, the Empire is a rapidly expanding supranational empire situated within the world and based in two continents and is ruled by their living god who is known as the Earthly Sovereign. The Empire was founded by the ancestors of the Old Ones, who lead the Empire in the name of the philosophy they have named the Earthly Sovereign. The empire was founded 2500 years ago, and the Empress continues at least nominally, to rule her empire as both its political master and its primary religious figure. Several lands (Abundance, Shrines, Moon Scent, Heavens Blossom and even some samurai who have turned their backs on their respective lands) have allied themselves. The Empire borders the Eastern and Western continents. A truly vast domain, the empire is spread amongst the many lands in the world. Its territories encompass untold hundreds of populated village and countless more human lives. In its name, terrible wars are fought and desperate sacrifices made, yet even this river of carnage and blood is a small price to pay, for the Empire is the guardian of the world. Were it to pass into nothingness, so too countless lives, destroyed by enemies uncountable, to the braying laughter of the Ruinous Ones. At an astounding 13.79 million square kilometers in total and with around 500 million people, one of the largest and most densely populated regions in the World by far. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multiculturalempires, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. Every land of the empire must also pay the taxes levied on them in the form of men and material that is known as the tithe. These resources go to the service of the Guard and the Imperial Navy, the armed forces which keep the Empire united and safe. The tithe supports the overall economy of the empire by redistributing resources where needed, usually to shore up one region of the Empire where conflict is raging by drawing resources from more peaceful sectors. In general, the Empire promotes the development of a neo-feudal political system, which the High Lords of Empire and the Inquisition have long believed to be the most stable form of human government. There are few human-settled villages in the empire where any but the most wealthy nobles have any say in the government of their village, and the Imperial establishment generally characterizes any movements toward "democracy", self-rule or the overthrow of the neo-feudal system as outright heresy against the divine plan of the Empress. This intense need for political stability and the growing military demands upon the Empire's system presented by the myriad and growing threats have created a repressive and stagnant wide spread government where science and human progress have essentially been halted in service to the need to simply maintain the crumbling status quo. History The Beginnings of an Empire The exact date of the founding of the Empire in the world calendar is unclear; however the way in which the lands were united as a whole is a well-known tale. What is known is that only 2500 years ago in the sovereign era, the old lands were settled with warring and nomadic tribes. The original Emperor, a samurai born around 2800 years ago in central present day Land of Moon Scent, organized the settlement there. The Original Emperor helped humanity as a whole survive and prosper through the long ordeal. In various eras of human history they say that he intervened through various personas, some of them well-known historical personages, to guide theEmpire though such interventions were always brief and shrouded in legend and historical mystery. At the end of the Sovereign Era the man who would become the first Majikina Emperor finally took a direct, public, and permanent role in shaping the future of the Majikina Empire, believing that the damage done to the human race by years of terror, isolation and violence could not be reversed unless he openly guided the lands as its leader. As such, he shed all his prior identities and simply revealed as the Emperor of the Empire, determined to unite entire continents under his stern but benevolent rule and replace superstition, fear, poverty and intolerance with reason, science, progress and hope. Age of Strife The Age of Strife, also sometimes called Dark Moment, was a 300-year-long period of anarchy, war, and destructive technological regression that brought the Empire to the brink of extinction The Age of Strife was caused by the by the aggravation of the lands and villages within the empire, and the continuous onset against the Ruinous Ones. On the empire, the economy collapsed with the loss of international trade and communication with the rest of humanity and the social order broke down. Wars, rebellion, and disease were rampant. Vast swathes of the advanced scientific and technical knowledge accumulated in the previous millennia was lost or forgotten, and a slow descent into barbarism seemed inevitable. Brutal warlords emerged, who carved out new kingdoms to serve as their fiefdoms. The emergence of these often brutal neo-feudal kingdoms, the new nations of the people later termed "Oni" by the empire historians, imposed an uneasy peace on the Earth that was frequently interrupted by feudal conflicts. The human race seemed on the brink of extinction at the start of the new millennium, when the man who would become known as the Emperor once more inserted Himself into the affairs of humanity. Crusade Against the Ruinous Ones The Emperor sensed that the Ruinous Ones had marked the Age of Strife were starting to subside, and that this offered an opportunity for his empire to reunite in pursuit of a new Golden Age. The Emperor first emerged from his secret fortress beneath the mountains in to unify all the states of ancient world under His rule through either diplomacy or the waging of the brutal military campaigns later called the Unification Wars against the indigenous tribes that ruled vast swathes of the worlds blighted surface. After conquering the last of the independent indigenous states of the lands, the Emperor began to lay the foundations of His burgeoning empire. Understanding that no one man, even one such as He, could rule alone, the Emperor formed His War Council, comprised of his most able generals and a number of high-ranking administrators, the most formidable of whom was Ma Chao. Ma Chao was not a warrior, but a man of learning with the bearing of a priest. His origins were unknown to all save perhaps the Emperor Himself, to whom some believed Ma Chao was distantly related. Ma Chao was appointed to administer the newly-constructed Imperial Palace and Court in the northern mountains, and through this appointment also governed newly conquered nearly half of the world as his master's left hand. Where the world had been a place of unending war it now became a place of unceasing activity, production and planning. After conquering the last of the independent indigenous states of the lands, the Emperor secured the allegiance of the Thunder Legion of the Land of the Moon Scent who controlled the most advanced remaining industrial fabrication and scientific research facilities in the world. The Emperor promised in the Treaty of Thunder to protect the priests religion and respect the sovereignty of the Land of the Fallen Shrines and their numerous villages, affording them a level of independence unequalled within the empire. The Treaty of Thunder married the military might of the Emperor with the industrial strength of the Land of the Moon Scent and the Land of the Fallen Shrines. Now possessed of the needed manpower and material to make His dream a reality, the Emperor mobilized the resources of launch a vast new military campaign intended to reunite the whole of mankind, dispersed across the world, under his rule. This campaign, the Great Crusade, marked the beginning of the period that would later be known as the Age of the Empire. Imperial Palace The Imperial Palace is the seat of the Power and the center of imperial power and administrative authority. It spreads across the whole of what used to be the Ascension Mountains and is primarily defended by the Imperial Guard regiment, although Inquisition forces are also known to protect the massive complex. The Imperial Palace is not just a single building but a massive interconnected series of nearly country wide fortifications comprised of cyclopean and pyramidal structures that extend for two kilometers into the sky and for five dozen kilometers beneath the surface of the land. The Palace is said to have 800 chambers in its entirety. This complex is divided into two security perimeters which essentially function as separate urban regions, the Outer and Inner Palaces. Some of the great domes in the palace, especially the Hegemon, are so vast, they contain their own miniature weather systems. Microclimate clouds drift under painted vaults. Rain in the Hegemon is said to be a portent of good fortune. Inner Palace The heart of the Inner Palace contains the Imperial Sancturary, the Hall of the Golden Throne, deep within the Inner Palace past the Eternity Gate where the Empress of the Empire resides. Only the members of the High Lords and a few select Imperial servants are allowed to pass through the Inner Palace's Eternity Gate and enter the presence of the Empress of the Empire. The grand hallway of the Inner Palace that leads to the Eternity Gate, called the Hall of Heroes, is filled with the banners of every Imperial Guard Regiment and that has ever loyally served the Empire. At the end of the Hall of Heroes lies the Eternity Gate itself, forged of adamantium that has been heavily layered with ceramite to provide extra protection from weapons fire. The outer layer of the gate is covered in beaten gold that has been sculpted by some of the greatest artists of the empire into an heroic icon of the first emperor. Lands The Anthology The Empire is extremely vast in which it has four great nations under its collective reign. Each great nation provides a different source of political, economic, diplomatic, educational, and military support to the empire as a whole. Each nation plays a role in their supranational defense. As similar to other great nations each land is ruled by a daimyo, and a Head Kage respectively. Each minor village has their own head ninja who in turns reports matters of international conflict to their respective kage's and council of elders. However, the kages and daimyo report to their higher authorities which are the Shoguns of the Empire. The Imperial empire comprises a bewildering variety of departments, bureaus, sub-divisions and offices, each of which deal with a particular aspect of maintaining the continuity of the Imperium. Each order has an obligation to care for its given area of control. Land of Abundance ''Main article: Land of Abundance''Is the military focal point of the empire. This lands entire focus is to provide resources instrumental and dedicated to the concept of defense. The land is still relatively new and highly hierarchical. Land of the Moon Scent ''Main article: Land of the Moon Scent''Is another hugely populated land of the Imperial Empire. This land provides a spiritual support to the entire empire. Here are most profound academies and the central location for, monk and samurai advancement. This is also the land in where promotion exams are taken as well. Land of the Heavens Blossom ''Main article: Land of the Heavens Blossom''The Land of the Heavens Blossom was one of the original lands in the majestic Empire. This ancient land was easy to conquer as it did not have any military forces but, the secrets they held made the small effort to conquer it purposeful. Land of the Fallen Shrines ''Main article: Land of the Fallen Shrines''It is dominated by the religion of the Thesmosphoros Cult and acts of devotion to the Empress of the. It may be that this place saw the birth of a famous Imperial saint or formed the battleground for a particularly important war in the Empire's history. Often studded with cathedrals, temples and shrines spread across the globe to the Empress and her saints, this land is frequently use as training grounds for the higher ranking saints. Three Charter Oath It was promulgated at the enthronement of Emperor. The Oath outlined the main aims and the course of action to be followed during Emperor Yuda's reign, setting the legal stage for the Empires modernization. This also set up a process of urbanization as people of all classes were free to move jobs so people went to the city for better work. It remained influential, if less for governing than inspiring, throughout the Yuda era and into further ages. Clauses By this oath, we set up as our aim the establishment of the national wealth on a broad basis and the framing of a constitution and laws. # Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by open discussion. # All classes, high and low, shall be united in vigorously carrying out the administration of affairs of state. # The common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall all be allowed to pursue their own calling so that there may be no discontent. # Evil customs of the past shall be broken off and everything based upon the just laws of Nature. # Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundation of imperial rule Departments Most of the organizations or organs comprising the government are divisions of the vast sectors the great bureaucracy of the Imperial government. The priesthood which serves the leader is often referred to as “the right hand of the Empress”. It falls to the sectors to interpret his/her will and minister to the Imperial empire. There are countless divisions within the empire, and some are so secretive that their existence is known only to a few officials at the very top of the massive Imperial hierarchy. Perhaps the most well-known of the "secret" organizations is the Inquisition, the empires secret police force, which was created at the start of the Age of Strife by the Emperor's regent, to seek out any hidden threat to the Imperium from without or within. The existence of the other secret Imperial organizations is known only to the higher Imperial echelons. This weight of responsibility grows as feudal obligation passes up through a mind-numbing array of ranks within each sect. From lowly scribes computing a hive village’s annual yield to mighty Sector Commanders overseeing the assemblage of a Crusading fleet, vassalage and power passes ever upwards to the titular heads of the empire, the High Lords of Moon. These powerful individuals rule from the ancient Land of the Moons Scent in the Emperor’s name. Government High Lords The Santorum is an imperial governing body comprised of the four highest-ranked officials of the most powerful Academy of the Empire. This body carries out the day-to-day decisions required to govern the entire Empire name. The task of the High Lords is to interpret and enact the will of the Empress. Accordingly, the position of High Lord is the most politically powerful in the Empire, even above the shogun and daimyo. Since the Empress can no longer govern her empire directly, it is the claim of the High Lords that her immortal will is known to them and the Empress thus rules through the High Lords of the empire. Though the empire is too vast to be centrally governed, the High Lords ultimately make decisions affecting the lives of millions of citizens across the land. Since the dark days of the empire, the number of seats on the Santorum has largely remained the same, fluctuating during various points of crisis before eventually returning to its original number. Each seat is filled by a leader from one of the most powerful academies and other organizations of the empire. A complex web of tradition, skullduggery, promises of support, threats of retaliation and considerations of mutual interest binds them together and determines who holds office and who does not. In practice, some of the empires' academies and institutions are so powerful and vital that it would be unthinkable for their leader to not be granted a seat amongst the High Lords of the Empire. Naturally, over the long millennia, the unthinkable has happened many times over, however, and the existing High Lords often put in place an inordinate amount of measures to ensure that their seat is a permanent one -- that upon their deaths their position is automatically filled by the new head of their organization. The following offices are almost invariably represented as High Lords because they form the cornerstones of the empire, the most important of its ancient institutions. Although the sources regarding the exact composition of the Santorum are varied, some institutions and organizations within the empire are so powerful that their leaders can be considered a de facto High Lord. The following four offices are almost always represented as High Lords: * Grand Provost Marshal (Hall of Judgment): The sector that serves as the imperial police force, responsible for enforcing the Imperial Law on all controlled lands. They have been granted the right by the High Lords of the empire to serve as judge, jury and executioner to any citizen they discover having broken Imperial law and the concept of due process is not one that generally applies in the empire. However, in those cases where Imperial law is unclear or the law breaker has committed a truly heinous deed or is of unusually high-ranking stature, the offended will be taken back to an Precinct House for judgment by an high ranking Judge, the sentence to be carried out immediately. Imperial justice is swift and sure, but not always just. * Fabricator General (Order of the Machines): The Mechanicus acknowledge the Empress as the ruler of the empire, but not the religious truth of the Imperial Cult or the Ecclesiarchy. Instead, the Mechanicus follows its own dark and mysterious scriptures and worships the deity they call the Machine God or the "Omnissiah." The Mechanicus believes knowledge is the true manifestation of divinity in the universe, and all creatures and artifacts that embody knowledge are holy because of it. The Mechanicus also regard organic flesh as weak and view the removal and replacement of biological tissue with mechanical, bionic parts as sacred. * Patrenoval Envoy (Navigator) * Ambassador for the Empire These four posts are virtually sacrosanct, and there are very few times in the history of the empire when their seats upon the High Lords of the empire became empty and were not filled with a successor from the same organization. Economic Affairs Supports the empire's efforts to maintain the highest possible quality Federal statistical system, communicate a vision of the key forces at work in the economy and the opportunities these forces create for improving the well-being of all civilians, and support the information and analytical needs of the executive branch. The economic affairs also advises and counsels the empire's primary operating units - the Dominion of Economic Analysis and the Dominion of the Census - as these dominions gather statistics, ensure confidentiality, and produce accurate and timely reports on economic and social change for the benefit of the empire public, business, and all levels of government. Diplomatic Affairs Geography & Climate Due to the vast size of the empire, there are numerous changes of weather and vast series of different elevations. As you may know by now. The empire is divided into numerous regions, in which there are a variety if seasonal changes. The climate of the empire varies widely due to its large geographical size, but by far the largest part of the empire is grassland or sub tropical. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate, varied between tropical rainforests, grasslands, part desert. The empires climate is ruled by the hot, sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt which moves north and south with the seasons. This causes the rainfall pattern over the entire empire to be highly seasonal. The empire's rainfall is the lowest of the great countries. Humidity also plays out to become a factor as long drawn out battles will take a toll on both fighters. Precipitation As stated above the Imperial Empire is predominately a sub tropical climate which is characterized by high rainfall, with annual rainfall between 250 centimeters' (98 in) to 450 centimeters' (180 in). The mainland of the empire is typically divided into four main layers, each with different plants and animals adapted for life in that particular area: the emergent, canopy, understory/understory and forest floor layers. Occasionally, flash floods do occur in small areas, however its nothing that is capable of causing severe land slides. Most if not all villages are aware of this and have properly structured homes to withstand it. This climate proves very advantageous for water release users, especially during combat. However, in the capital, the weather is always sunny during the daylight hours. Natural Hazards The only reported incidents were near the capital city. There were only reports of small seismic disturbances. Sub sequentially, in the Land of Fallen Shrines, occasional wind storms plague the land. Now most of the lands within the empire, are able to cope with the ever changing nature of these lands. Health and Education Demographics The peoples of the empire vary in their form and appearances just as their local lands do. Whilst there is a generally agreed baseline standard, consisting of four limbs, one head, twenty digits and so on, the local environment have caused a small manner of interesting anomalies, adaptations and fashions. These differences are usually cosmetic in effect; however, the more radical alterations walk the line between accepted variation and outright mutation. It is a subject of intense debate amongst some elite members within theEmpire. Some populations will possess unusual adaptations as a consequence of their local environment. Some cultures may impose certain ideals of beauty that drastically alter the looks of their peoples. To some extent a similar appearance and culture binds the people of a empire together into a common stock. Usually speaking, citizens of the empire will prefer to spend their time with fellow natives of their village. Threats Despite being the largest empire that humanity has ever known, many lands within the empire feel isolated and alone in the deep secular regions of the empire. Across all the peoples of the Empire, fear gnaws away at the psyche, worming mistrust and desperate faith into the conscious and unconscious mind. Time and again the world has proved itself an uncaring and frightening place deeply hostile to the survival of humanity. Among the threats are attacks from Sargon or even by theRuinous Ones leader, Geryon. Rebellions The Empire is the only rightful authority of its section in the world, as has been decreed by the Empress, and Her will, executed by the High Lords, is absolute. But man has ever been a fractious and fickle creature and not all agree that the Empress rule is to be desired. Therefore the rule of the empire must, by necessity, be harsh. The size of the empire the grip of its governance must be loose, and rebellion is only regarded to have taken place when one of the various tithes goes unpaid. In the wake of the most recent rebellion centuries ago, the Empire was a dismal, shattered thing. As the beauty and grandeur of the Imperial Palace had been burned black in the flames of betrayal, so great swathes of the Emperor's star-spanning realm had suffered a similar fate. The previous emperor was a broken husk, and his dream of unity erased forever. Yet for all this, the Empire retained might enough to exact a bloody revenge upon its foes. There could be no forgiveness for the crimes of the Traitor Legions -- those who now ruled in the Emperor's name had neither the ability nor the desire to prevent a war of reciprocity. So began the time known in the histories of the Imperium as the Great Scouring. This was a period of monumental violence, of confusion and darkness. Though the newly founded empire fought to root out corruption and expose wrong-doers to the cold light of justice, their scope and dark, shadowed reaches worked against them. With new betrayals and cries for vengeance emerging daily, a great many bloody-handed deeds went unseen. Religion Truth is the name given to the secular, rationalist ideology promulgated by the Empress of the Empire to reunite all the lands of the world beneath the umbrella of the newborn Imperium of Progress. The Imperial Truth was pioneered by the first Emperor, and is a collection of ideologies that upholds the core values of reason, science and secular progress over the older traditions of religion, superstition and faith that had longed defined many of the villages that had fallen into darkness during the Age of Strife. The Emperor Himself declared that his empire would never be free to progress and advance to its destined position as the pre-eminent force in the world until "the last stone from the last church was cast down onto the last priest." He purged ancient the Land of Heavens Blossom of all its ancient religions and superstitious beliefs, even going so far as to personally witness the destruction of the final church on the lands ancient soil after engaging its resident holy man, Uriah, in a battle of ideas, wit and dogma. Thus it became the dominating force in the empire. Economy Income, Poverty and Wealth Dark Gods Time and again throughout history, the minds of man have proven fertile soil for the seeds of corruption by Chaos. There are certain dark powers abroad in the world that seduce the weak and foolish into their damnable service. These ageless beings, their names unspeakable, prey upon mankind’s needs and desires. With honeyed words, forbidden knowledge, bloody rites and festering secrets they lure humanity to become their slaves. Some within the empire choose to worship these Dark Gods. The ways of these Chaos Cults are many. Some meet in clandestine rituals of sacrifice and incantation. Others are foolish scholars, meddling with powers beyond their ken. Others still are organizations, companies or political groups drunk with power gained through pacts with unspeakable creatures of the other world. Perhaps worst of all are the instances of entire villages that worship the Chaos Gods through ignorance or choice. All of these profane cultists invite ruin upon themselves, the empire and humanity. The High Lords, Governors and the Inquisition all watch for these disciples of Chaos, for the inevitable consequence of their meddling is pain, disaster and bloodshed. The ordinary peoples of the empire rightly fear these cults and their malevolent masters. In many villages an undercurrent of paranoia, suspicion and fear of Chaos Cultists is the norm. Category:Locations